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Showing results for islet. Search instead for isleted.
Synonyms

islet

American  
[ahy-lit] / ˈaɪ lɪt /

noun

  1. a very small island.

adjective

  1. Anatomy. situated in or pertaining to the islet of Langerhans.

    islet cells.
islet British  
/ ˈaɪlɪt /

noun

  1. a small island

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • isleted adjective

Etymology

Origin of islet

From the Middle French word islette, dating back to 1530–40. See isle, -et

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Along with another islet, Siri, "these islands have been fortified, turned into mini-fortresses with anti-ship missiles", Pierre Razoux from the France-based Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies told AFP recently.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Many scientists view this field as the future of transplantation because stem cells can provide a virtually unlimited supply of islet cells for research and clinical use.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026

For patients with severe cases that are difficult to control with exogenous insulin, doctors can perform islet cell transplants, which include beta cells.

From Science Daily • Mar. 2, 2026

Stanford Medicine scientists report that giving mice both blood-forming stem cells and pancreatic islet cells from an immunologically mismatched donor either completely prevented or fully reversed Type 1 diabetes.

From Science Daily • Nov. 26, 2025

Every islet is thick with farms and fishermen’s houses, and these are gathered into townships each of ten or twenty islets.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.